Star Trek: Enterprise - A Tight Fit
by DgirlLuna
Summary: He was hot. The air uncomfortably warm and thick with smoke as he breathed in and out. He was laying on his stomach, the side of his face pressing against the rough texture of a floor grate. His head felt heavy, throbbing painfully with every beat of his heart. Trip fought to pry his weighted eyelids open...
1. Chapter 1

**A Tight Fit**

 ***Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek: Enterprise or any of their characters, I only own my original characters.**

 **Twenty-one Hundred (09:00pm), Tuesday, 05/08/2052.**

He was hot. The air uncomfortably warm and thick with smoke as he breathed in and out. He was laying on his stomach, the side of his face pressing against the rough texture of a floor grate. His head felt heavy, throbbing painfully with every beat of his heart. Trip fought to pry his weighted eyelids open, having to take a second and allow the fog in front of his eyes to clear. Slowly lifting his head, he brought his right hand up. With great effort he lifted it closer and turned his head slightly, trying to find the source of the throbbing. Gasping in pain, he jerked his hand away from an extremely tender spot above his right eyebrow. His swift movement caused the throbbing in his head to double and a faint stinging in his hand registered in the back of his mind. Faintly he realized that he had scraped it against a wall when he jerked it away from his head. Moving his hand closer and slightly turning his head, he gingerly touched around the tender spot above his right eyebrow. Slowly moving his hand away from the painfully tender spot, he realized that it was covered in a thick, sticky substance. The thick air was heavy with a distinct coppery smell. Staring at what he could make out of his hand in the dark space, he realized that the substance was his blood, it covered his hand and most of the grate that his face was laying against. Attempting to raise himself up into a sitting position to see through the surrounding darkness, he was stunned by a searing pain across his abdomen and he realized that there was something heavy pinning him to the ground. When he tried to lift his head he was hit by a wave of dizziness and felt as if a thousand knifes were being plunged into his torso. The smell of blood again assaulted his senses and he gave up his attempt to right himself. He attempted to ignore the throbbing pain by focusing on evening out his breathing, but the thick, smoky air was making it difficult. The pain continued to throb harder in his head and across his abdomen, causing the darkness to grow, as if it were alive and attempting to consume him where he lay…

 **Twelve hours earlier…**

 **Zero Nine Hundred (09:00am), Tuesday, 05/08/2052.**

"Archer to Commander Tucker." Crackled loudly over the intercom in Engineering, the voice competing with the sound of the rattling warp engine. "Yes Cap'n." Trip replied through clenched teeth as he lifted his knee, allowing his leg to hang in the air in an attempt to alleviate some of the sharp pain from the toe he stumped in his haste to reach the com button. "How are the repairs coming? We need to be able to reach the Vulcan home-world by zero eight hundred tomorrow morning." Archer asked, too consumed by his thoughts on the new treaty between the Vulcans and Andorians to notice the underlying pain in Trip's voice. "It'll take roughly five hours to finish the repairs. But once we're done we should be able to travel at Warp 5 and make it there with a few hours to spare." Trip said, slowly lowering his foot back onto the ground. "Is there any way you can speed up the repairs, Commander? How many engineers are working on the repairs right now?" Archer asked with a little impatience seeping into his tone. "I'm giving it all I got Cap'n." Sighing, Trip continued, "I've got every engineer on board working, some even double shifts. That meteoroid field really did some damage, not to mention the fire fight with those Zullonos. It's like a circus down here, everyone's been working all night, and let me tell you some of us have gotten real grumpy…" He smiled as he said this, but an impatient cough from Captain Archer brought him back on track. "We should be done with the repairs before supper time, and without to many mishaps we should reach Vulcan in no time." There was a delay, then Archer replied, sounding slightly distracted again, "Thank you, I expect an update in two hours." "Yes Sir. And Sir? Don't worry about the treaty, everything will work out just fine." "I'm not worried, just concerned is all, but thank you Trip." Archer replied with genuine gratitude. Trip sighed and with a tired determination returned to his work.

 **Fourteen Hundred (02:00pm), Tuesday, 05/08/2052.**

Five grueling hours later, the repairs finally done, Trip was sitting in sickbay waiting for Phlox to finish bandaging his left hand. They had been almost done with the repairs, with only a few minor incidents along the way, when Ensign Sam Fezzo, one of his fellow engineers, had been passing a panel over the head of another engineer. Sam's tired fingers had suddenly lost their grip and the panel slipped. Trip had been standing nearby and seeing the panel slip, had acted on instinct. Reaching out to catch the wayward panel, a sharp corner ripped through the palm of his left hand, ignoring the pain, he managed to stop its descent with his other hand. Checking to make sure that the other engineer was fine, he handed the panel back to Sam. Reaching into his pocket he grabbed a rag and attempted to stanch the flow of blood, using the time he spent wrapping his hand to fix his face into a neutral mask in order to hide the intense pain that had begun radiating from his hand. Sam stepped down from where he had been standing and approached Trip, apologizing profusely. "Don't worry about it Sam, we're all tired. As soon as the repairs are finished make sure everyone gets some food and rest." Trip had said, tying the rag with a rubber band and applying more pressure with his right hand. With a nod in Sam's direction he turned to finish the task that he had previously been performing. "Um Sir?" Came Sam's voice from behind him after a few seconds. "Don't you think you should go to sickbay and have that looked at before you continue working?" He asked hesitantly. "I'll be fine till I finish this, then I'll head that way Ensign." Trip said without turning away from his now onehanded work. After several minutes of trying to reconnect the wires, he gave a frustrated growl when he attempted to use his left hand and it only resulted in more pain. "Sir, I've just completed the section that you assigned to me earlier and I can finish up those wires if you'd like." Sam said as he stepped to Trip's right side, "Besides, I'd feel horrible if you got an infection or something because of a mistake I made." Trip looked over at Sam and when his resolved to keep working vanished he realized that he had made a mistake in looking at Sam's face. Sam had that way about him, maybe it was his eyes or something in his stance, but he always had the ability to get others to do something to spare him from some guilt or hurt or other such nonsense. Maybe it was the way that he stated what he knew would be better for others so that it seemed like they would actually be doing him a favor, instead of the other way around. Shaking his head with a frustrated sigh, Trip gave a stiff nod and, with a resigned look on his face, started towards sickbay.

A sharp prick in his neck brought Trip back to the present and he looked up as Phlox stepped away from the bio bed to place the hypo-spray with the anesthetic back in its place. "You need to rest Commander Tucker, your body is fatigued and your immune system isn't at its optimum. I do not want you back here with an infection. That would not be a pleasant experience." Phlox stated with a stern, yet concerned, tone in his voice. "Straight to bed, won't argue with that." Trip's southern drawl thick with exhaustion, the fact that he didn't put up any resistance to the mandatory rest alarmed Phlox more than anything else. "I expect to see you back here in the morning Commander." Phlox said, folding his hands as he turned back. "Sure Doc, I'll see ya in the morn'n." Trip said, holding his injured hand to his chest as he slid off the bio bed and walked tiredly out of the infirmary.


	2. Chapter 2

**Eighteen Hundred (06:00pm), Tuesday, 05/08/2052.**

The cut on his hand had settled into a dull ach and his body was begging for rest, however his mind was unrelentingly active. Every time that he drew near to sleep, he would remember something else that they needed to fix in Engineering before too long. So after four hours of restless sleep, Trip decided enough was enough; forsaking his attempt to rest, he grabbed a quick shower and headed to the mess hall. Upon arriving he spotted Malcom, T'Pol, and Hoshi sitting at a table in the corner of the mess hall. "Commander Tucker." T'Pol said in greeting, shifting slightly so Trip could sit down beside her across from Malcom's spot. "Sub-commander T'Pol, Malcom, Hoshi. Dog-gone, it's been a long day." Trip said as he sat down, exhaling slowly. "What happened to you hand?" Hoshi asked as she lifted her fork full of mashed potatoes to her mouth. Watching as Malcom got up and retrieved another tray of food Trip responded, "Cut it on a panel. Hurt like the dickens though." Accepting the offered tray of food from Malcom, Trip nodded his thanks. Responding with a nod of his own, Malcom sat back down and resumed his own meal. "How's the Cap'n been? I haven't checked in with him since right before the repairs were completed." Trip inquired after taking a few bites, when there was a pause he stopped to look up from the steaming food to meet T'Pol's gaze. "He is distracted with finishing the final details of the treaty before tomorrow morning. He said something about 'Vulcans and Andorians being extremely picky'. He has not had much time for anything else since yesterday." "Has he eaten anything?" "Not since dinner last night, when there was a break in the incoming treaty messages." T'Pol said, with a slight frown on her face. None of them were too happy with the stress that this new treaty placed on the Captain and the rest of the crew, especially after the run in with the Zullonos. "I guess I'll take him a meal and see if he has time to eat it. I'll see y'all later."

"Goodbye Commander."

"See you Trip."

"I'll stop by Engineering later to pick up those weapon control panels that Sam finished." Malcom said as Trip rose from his seat. "See you then." Trip said as he walked up to the food dispenser and retrieved a tray of food for Captain Archer.

"Cap'n, its Trip, can I come in?" "Enter." Archer replied, agitation evident in his tired voice. Walking into the room, Trip was astonished at the number of tablets laying around with all the different demands and compromises. "Shouldn't there be a whole team working on this instead of just one man?" Trip asked, with slight irritation on his Captain's behalf. "No, the Andorians won't allow anyone else to 'tamper' with the treaty. They claim that the more people involved, the more likely something will be lost in translation and more loopholes will develop. You know how paranoid they can be." Archer stated, looking up from his work. Noticing the tray of food that Trip was carrying, Archer cleared a spot on his desk for the tray. "Thanks for the food Trip, I'm starving." Archer said as he took the tray from Trip. "I figured you would be. T'Pol said that you hadn't eaten since yesterday." Trip said, raising his eyebrows at Archer. "She'd be right. Look I've got to get back to-" Archer stopped mid-sentence when Trip accidentally stumbled over some of the tablets that he had moved and knocked over another stack of tablets when he attempted to regain his balance. Trip looked up from where he now sat sprawled on the floor. "Sorry, I didn't mean-" "Thank you for the food, but maybe you should get back to Engineering. I've got work to do." Archer said, frustrated. "They don't need me right now, so I can help you pick these up." Trip said, holding his injured hand pressed against his side, he had felt the skin rip again in his attempt to catch himself, as he stood. Bending and picking up a few of the tablets with his right hand, he turned to place them on the desk but paused mid-act when Archer started speaking again. "No thanks, I've got it. I have to organize them again anyway." Archer said taking the tablets from Trip's hand, so distracted by his fatigue and frustration that he turned away without noticing the bandage on his left hand or the fresh blood that was seeping through. Turning, Trip walked out the door, but right before the door closed behind him he heard Archer mumbling angrily to himself, and he mentally berated himself for being so clumsy. Overcome by a fresh wave of exhaustion, he clenched his teeth against the new pain in his hand and started towards his quarters. Just as he reached his quarters, the intercom crackled to life, "Engineering to Commander Tucker". "Tucker here." He said, leaning against the wall next to the com button. "We have a problem. One of the fuses have blown. It took out the internal sensors and damaged the intake manifold." "On my way." Trip replied as he stepped away from the wall.

 **Nineteen Hundred (07:00pm), Tuesday, 05/08/2052.**

"Status?" Trip said as he walked into Engineering. "Ensign Xavier and I are working on replacing the fuse, Ensign Stanley is monitoring everything. The internal sensors are still down, however, Ensigns Rake, Stallings, and Abbott are working on it." Sam replied. "What about the intake manifold?" Trip asked as he assessed Sam's condition and looked around the engine room at the other six engineers on duty. "That's why I called you to Engineering, the intake manifold sustained serious damage in section three. With everyone getting their needed rest, we're spread really thin, and as you know the intake manifold is delicate, so I figured that it would be best if you handled it." Sam said as he handed Trip the tablet with the specific information. "You made the right call, so let's get workin'." Trip said as he walked over to section three of the intake manifold.

 **Twenty Hundred (08:00pm), Tuesday, 05/08/2052.**

An hour later the fuse had been replaced, all the connections repaired, the intake manifold fixed, and the internal sensors were almost the ready to be brought back online. "Good work, the next shift will be here in about five minutes, so finish up and then get some rest." Trip said to the circle of engineers surrounding him. The group dispersed to finish their tasks and those assigned to work the next shift started drifting into Engineering. Thirty minutes later, those who came in for the new shift were thoroughly immersed in their tasks when suddenly everyone in Engineering was thrown across the room and an alarm rang throughout the ship. "Bridge to Engineering, we're under attack, internal sensors have been knocked out again, how's the damage down there?" Picking himself up from where he had fallen, Trip limped over to the com button. "Commander Tucker to the Bridge, so far the damage down here is minimal, just a few scrapes and bruises. Do we know who is attacking us?" Trip asked. "It appears to be the Zullonos again. Mayweather is attempting to put some distance between us, so hold on." Archer replied in a strained voice. Trip could still here a bit of the frustration from earlier in Archer's voice as well. "Yes Sir. We have things covered down here." Trip said as he turned to face the other engineers. "I'll check back for an update, Archer out." Moving away from the intercom, Trip limped towards the warp engine. Sparks shot out from one of the panels on the wall and the ship shuddered, causing a few of the engineers to stumble. "Commander, one of the relays have blown in section four, connection six!" Shouted Ensign Lano as he rushed towards Trip. "Show me where." Trip demanded as he climbed back down the ladder and followed Ensign Lano to the blown relay. "It appears that the surge that knocked out the relay came from one of the connections over here," Ensign Lano said as he pointed to where the wires went back into the wall, "and if it is from back there, then there could be a fire in the crawlspace, which will only damage more relays." Trip shook his head as he examined the wires and the relays. "Find Ensign Stakes, she's small enough to check the crawlspaces with speed and ease." Trip said, as he continued to examine the wall. "Yes Sir." Ensign Lano replied as he turned to find Ensign Stakes. Suddenly the ship took a hit from the Zullonos and it was too much for the artificial gravity to compensate, Trip was close enough to the wall to grab it just in time, but Ensign Lano was thrown against the other wall. Once the artificial gravity compensated Trip let go of the wall and rushed to his side as more alarms began blaring throughout Engineering. "Ensign!" Trip shouted as he turned Lano over, only to find his eyes closed and blood pouring from a gnash along his forehead. Grunting, Trip grabbed Lano under the arms and dragged his unconscious form through the smoke and sparks over to where the other engineers were gathering. "Someone get him to Sickbay now!" Trip ordered, breathing heavy. "Yes Sir." Ensign Williams answered as he took Lano's unconscious form from Trip. "Archer to Engineering, what the status?"

"We've sustained serious damage, one of the relays have blown, systems are overheating, the engine's still running, but not for long if we don't get those relays replaced. How's it up there?" Trip said, as he regained his composer. "The Zullonos are still close, but Malcom has managed to encourage them to back up a bit." Archer said, determination and a slight hint of worry for his crew was evident in his voice. "Good, we'll need the time to cool down the systems. Tucker out." Trip said as he walked back to the blown relay. Looking around he spotted Ensign Stakes immersed in putting out a fire in one of the control panels, and figuring that Ensign Sam, who had come back to Engineering once the attack started, had everything under control, he decided to find the crawlspace. As he approached the fifth crawlspace he could feel the heat seeping through the walls. Removing the panel he shifted the fire extinguisher from his right hand to his left, holding it carefully because of the bandaged on his hand. Using his right hand to support his weight he crawled into the tight space, wishing that Ensign Stakes hadn't been busy. Rounding a corner in the crawlspace he was immediately confronted with an intense heat. Taking the fire extinguisher into his right hand, he sprayed down the crawlspace. Scooting forward a little more across the grate on the floor, holding his left arm over his face to diminish smoke inhalation, he quickly extinguished the rest of the fire. Taking a closer look, he could see on the wall that it was two wires that had been jostled and had touched that had caused the surge and started the fire. Placing them as far from each other as he could and securing them with some tap from his pocket, he turned to crawl back out of the crawlspace. The ship suddenly lurched to the side, the artificial gravity again going off line for a second, causing him to be slammed against the ceiling of the crawlspace and then back onto the floor when it reengaged. Trip's head hit the floor with a sickening thud and when the ship lurched again one of the heavy pipes running along the wall and ceiling of the crawlspace swung loose and fell heavily onto his side. The last thing Commander Tucker heard was a loud crack as darkness overcame his senses.


	3. Chapter 3

**Twenty-one Hundred (09:00pm), Tuesday, 05/08/2052.**

He was hot. The air uncomfortably warm and thick with smoke as he breathed in and out. He was laying on his stomach, the side of his face pressing against the rough texture of a floor grate. His head felt heavy, throbbing painfully with every beat of his heart. Trip fought to pry his weighted eyelids open, having to take a second and allow the fog in front of his eyes to clear. Slowly lifting his head, he brought his right hand up. With great effort he lifted it closer and turned his head slightly, trying to find the source of the throbbing. Gasping in pain, he jerked his hand away from an extremely tender spot above his right eyebrow. His swift movement caused the throbbing in his head to double and a faint stinging in his hand registered in the back of his mind. Faintly he realized that he had scraped it against a wall when he jerked it away from his head. Moving his hand closer and slightly turning his head, he gingerly touched around the tender spot above his right eyebrow. Slowly moving his hand away from the painfully tender spot, he realized that it was covered in a thick, sticky substance. The thick air was heavy with a distinct coppery smell. Staring at what he could make out of his hand in the dark space, he realized that the substance was his blood, it covered his hand and most of the grate that his face was laying against. Attempting to raise himself up into a sitting position to see through the surrounding darkness, he was stunned by a searing pain across his abdomen and he realized that there was something heavy pinning him to the ground. When he tried to lift his head he was hit by a wave of dizziness and felt as if a thousand knifes were being plunged into his torso. The smell of blood again assaulted his senses and he gave up his attempt to right himself. He attempted to ignore the throbbing pain by focusing on evening out his breathing, but the thick, smoky air was making it difficult. The pain continued to throb harder in his head and across his abdomen, causing the darkness to grow, as if it were alive and attempting to consume him where he lay…

Thirty minutes after the attack had started, the Zullonos' ships had finally sustained enough damage that Mayweather was able to put some vital distance between them. Enterprise had sustained damage as well, however, the shields were able to absorb the brunt of the energy blast and thus prevent damage to vital systems. There were several injuries across the ship and Phlox was up to his eyeballs in patients with injuries ranging from minor cuts and bruises to deep gnashes, concussions, and broken bones. On deck D there had been a collapse of some kind and Archer had dispensed a search and rescue team to dig out any one who may have gotten caught in it. Those who weren't injured were making repairs or checking what systems they could without the internal sensors.

"Ensign Sam Fezzo to the Bridge." Came over the intercom as Archer stepped back from a display screen. "This is Archer, go ahead." He said as he sat in his chair, finally able to breathe for a minute.

"The engine has sustained some minor damage and a various connections and relays have been damaged, but so far we haven't found anything that will prevent us from reaching the Vulcan home world on schedule." Archer could hear the weariness in Sam's voice. "Good. Let me know if anything changes. Archer out." Archer said as he closed his eyes for a minute. He was almost finished with the treaty when the Zullonos attacked, and he assumed that delaying its completion was their goal. If the Andorians and Vulcans agree to this treaty it would greatly diminish the Zullonos profit from their weapons trade with the Andorians. He knows that as long as the Enterprise is in neutral space the Zullonos will keep attacking, but once they reach Vulcan space the Zullonos will have to back off because they aren't prepared to risk direct war with the Vulcans.

"Captain." T'Pol's voice broke through his tired musing. Looking over at her station, Archer noticed what appeared to be a crease of worry on her forehead. "Yes Sub-commander?" He asked cautiously, fearing that whatever scan she was running had picked up something bad. "Why did Ensign Fezzo give the report? According to protocol should it not be Commander Tucker who gives the report?" She asked, her tone the typical Vulcan monotone, however, Archer detected what he believed to be a slight undertone of fear in her voice. "I'm not sure, Trip could be busy fixing the connections and replacing the relays," Pausing, he took in her carefully molded expression and then continued, "but if he were hurt or injured in anyway, Phlox would have notified us by now." Archer watch her expression as she seem to test his explanation against logic and deem it plausible. "Of course Captain" was the only response she gave as she turned her focus back to her station. However she had successfully planted a seed of worry in his mind and despite the reassurance he had given her he knew that he needed to check Engineering and make sure that Trip was okay. "Archer to Commander Tucker." He said, when there was no response he tried again. Still no response. "Archer to Phlox." He tried instead. "Yes Captain?" Came Phlox's somewhat breathless reply. Everyone on board was weary and worn out from the multiple encounters with the Zullonos.

"Is Commander Tucker in Sickbay?"

"No, I have not seen Commander Tucker since early this afternoon. Why, has something happened to the Commander?" The Denobulan said, he tone hesitant as he remembered the Commander's injured hand, hoping that it wasn't infected. "Nothing has happened to him that I know of, I was just trying to find his whereabouts." Archer said, shaking his head.

"And I assume that you attempted to contact him in Engineering?"

"Yes, there was no response."

"Perhaps with all the alarms and all the activity going on in Engineering he may not be able to hear you, Captain." Phlox said in his usual matter of fact tone. "That is likely, Captain." T'Pol said, momentarily pausing in her work. "Captain, the Zullonos are advancing again!" Ensign Harper reported from his station. "Try hailing them again, Hoshi." Archer said, looking her way. "Yes Sir." Hoshi replied, already attempting to contact them. "No response." She said, her voice tense and disapproving.

"Fire at will Malcom, and Mayweather some more distance between us and them would be great."

"Yes Captain." Mayweather and Malcom replied together as the Zullonos began to open fire. Systems began sparking and smoking again as the shields attempted to absorb the energy blasts. "Captain, in order to put sufficient distance between us we need to make a warp jump." Mayweather said, briefly looking over his shoulder.

"Archer to Commander Tucker." Archer said, waiting a moment before speaking again, "Archer to Engineering."

"Ensign Fezzo here." Sam Fezzo's weary and slightly breathless voice responded after minute. "We need to make a warp jump, is that possible?" Archer asked, flinching as another blast caused the ship to lurch slightly.

"The engine has suffered damage, but it should be able to handle a jump, Captain." Sam replied.

"Thank you ensign. Engage Mayweather." Archer said as he wearily sat down in his chair. "Oh, Ensign Fezzo, have you seen Commander Tucker?" Archer asked, slight frustration seeping into his voice, alongside the worry, at the fact that he was having to hunt down his chief engineer who should be reachable given that they were under attack.

"I haven't seen him since after he sent Ensign Lano to sickbay and then he was at the com talking to you." Sam said, running his hand down his face before he glanced around Engineering, hoping to spot Commander Tucker absorbed in a repair of some kind.

"When one of the search teams report back I'm going to send them to Engineering. Thank you Ensign. Archer out."

 **Twenty-three Hundred (11:00pm), Tuesday, 05/08/2052.**

"Ensign Fezzo, I'm Captain of Search Team One (S.T.O.). We just finished rescuing those we could on D deck, Captain Archer told us to report to you." S.T.O. Captain Luke Mitchel said as he approached Ensign Sam Fezzo. "Yes, Commander Tucker is missing, it's been roughly three hours since we've heard or seen him. I believe that Ensign Williams was the last one to talk to him before he updated the Captain on the status of the engines, which was roughly an hour before we had to make the warp jump." Sam said as he leaned back against one of the rails in Engineering, finally getting a break from all the chaos.

"Where is Ensign Williams?"

"He should be over near coupling three, it sustained minor damage."

"Thank you." Mitchel said as he turned to walk over there. "Ensign Williams, it is my understanding that you were one of the last ones to talk to Commander Tucker. Did he say anything about what he was repairing or where he would be?"

"No, he just asked someone to take Ensign Lano to Sickbay. Ensign Lano may know more." Ensign Williams said before turning back to continue his work. "Thank you." Turning back to the rest of S.T.O. Mitchel continued, "Jenkins, I need you to go to sickbay and see what Ensign Lano knows about Commander Tucker's whereabouts."

"Yes Sir." Jenkins replied before making his way to Sickbay.

"The rest of you spread out, search all of Engineering, Commander Tucker could be injured and in need of immediate assistance." Mitchel said as he moved to begin the search for Trip. "Yes Sir." They replied together.


	4. Chapter 4

Slowly consciousness returned, bringing with it the most excruciating pain that Trip had ever felt. Everything ached, the pain was so intense in his left hand that it felt as if it was on fire. Confused, he lifted his head to look around not remembering what had happened. Suddenly it came back to him in an overwhelming force. The Zullonos had attacked again, he was trapped in one of the many small crawlspaces in Engineering and he felt like crap. Shaking his head to clear it he quickly realized that that wasn't a good idea when it started to throb more and his vision narrowed. "T-think Trip, t-think." He said to himself breathlessly. It was like there was a bunch of cobwebs in his head, every thought felt as if he had to wade through cotton before it made sense. Through the dark he could barely make out a part of what was pinning him down. _Archer will find me,_ Trip thought, s _omeone must know I'm missing by now. Oh wait. Their all busy with the attack. Archer wasn't paying any attention to me other than where the warp engine was concerned, he probably doesn't even know something has happened._ _Sam's probably got everything under control though._ Trips thoughts came to a screeching stop when a devastating pain radiated throughout his abdomen, causing him to groan and grit his teeth. _Great,_ he thought when the pain began to recced, _I'm stuck in a small space, with air that tastes like charcoal. On top of working all night and most of the day, I'm now not only exhausted, but in pain…Just great._ Several moments passed slowly, Trip fighting the pain with everything he had while still trying to figure a way out of his situation. Slowly he brought his left arm up above his head, ignoring his loudly protesting ribs, he followed it with his right arm. Bracing himself, he pulled his weight towards his arms. He managed to drag himself slightly forward and the heavy weight shifted back for a second giving him momentary relief, and then suddenly it came forward again, applying more pressure to his abdomen than before. Fresh sweat broke out on his forehead and a burning, searing pain blossomed once again, bringing with it more darkness. Trip fought the darkness, grunting with the effort it took to get through this new pain. _Okay… so moving…not a good idea…_ He thought, laying his head tiredly back on the floor and painfully letting out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. The next thing he knew he was choking on the thick air, after a moment of fierce struggling a cough burst through and his breathing began to ease. In the back of his mind he realized that he was achingly thirsty, but he paid no attention to the desire as he fought to focus his mind on getting out of this tight space. _Okay, so new ideas…Ugh...Now I can add tight spaces next to hot places on my list of things I do not enjoy..._ Realizing his mind had wondered off track he closed his eyes and attempted to breathe slightly deeper, which also wasn't a good idea. _I need a way to let someone know I'm in here…maybe I can reach one of those wires, get the relay to spark out an SOS code or something…Oh, right, can't move…who knew that laying around would be a bad thing?_ Trip gave a weak laugh as this thought passed through his now fevered mind. _What about my com?!_ He thought excitedly, chalking it up to the likely concussion he had that he hadn't thought of it already. Moving his right arm carefully to his side pocket, he reached in and pulled out his com, thankfully it wasn't busted. His ribs loudly and painfully protested every movement, making his chest tight and air hard to obtain. Finally he was able to bring his arm back up and open the com. "T-tucker to C-captain Archer, can y-you hear me?" He said weakly, allowing his eyes to fall shut once again as he waited for any reply. "Trip! Trip!" Jerking his eyes open, Trip realized that he had passed out. "S-sorry Captain, I m-must have zoned out for a minute." Trip stuttered. "Try to stay awake. Where are you?" Archer asked, concern and agitation seemed to be pouring from his voice in equal portions. Trip could hear others in the background on Archer's side mumbling, and he could barely make out Phlox's voice telling Archer what to ask next. "I'm in…Um…S-sorry, my m-minds been kinda f-fuzzy…I think I'm in t-the fifth crawlspace f-from the…" Trip petered off as the pain in his ribs and pressure in his chest caused him to stop breathing for a second. "Trip! Stay awake." Archer raised his voice to get Trip's attention. Finally with a wheezing cough the pressure eased, leaving Trip in pain and more tired than ever. "Trip, are you still with me?" Archer's voice again came over his com. "Y-yeah, still here. What w-were we talking 'bout?" Trip asked when he realized that he had no idea what he had been saying. _This cannot be good_ , Trip thought, puzzled by his sudden memory loss.

"You were telling me where you are, fifth crawlspace from something."

"Oh, r-right. I t-think it is the fifth c-crawlspace from section f-four."

"That's good. Search Team One is on their way. How bad are you hurt?"

"N-not too bad. I-I think I hit m-my head…and I'm s-stuck under s-something heavy. I m-moved it once, but t-then it came b-back heavier. And I think I h-heard something c-crack before I p-passed out the f-first time." Trip said as he raked his memory in an attempt to remember what all had happened. There was more mumbling on Archer's side of the com. Phlox was saying something that Trip couldn't understand. "Okay, S.T.O. should be there in a few minutes, just hold on and stay awake Trip." Finally Archer's voice again came clearly over the com. "S-sure thing C-Cap'n." Trip said quietly before a breath taking cough racked through his body. His eyes once again slid closed of their own volition, and he realized that he might not be able do what Archer had told him. Slowly the darkness once again consumed him. The only comfort he had was that they now knew where he was and, despite Archer's earlier frustration with him, he knew that Archer wouldn't stop until he was safe.

"Trip! Can you hear me? You need to stay awake." Archer said about ten minutes after he told Trip to stay awake. He was relieved that they had finally made contact with him. When Trip didn't respond Archer realized that he had most likely passed out again. "Phlox, I think he's unconscious again." Archer said as he turned to Phlox, who looked up at him with a thoughtful expression. "It is most likely do to whatever head trauma he has suffered, as well as exhaustion. I believe that he has only had about four hours sleep in the past two days." Phlox explained, his tone matter of fact. "I need to return to Sickbay to take care of my other patients and get it ready for Trip, from his description of his injuries he may have some broken ribs and other internal injuries." Phlox said, standing with his hands folded. "Right, I'll notify you when they find him." Archer said, slightly preoccupied with what Phlox had said about Trip possibly having internal injuries.

 **Zero Hundred (12:00am), Wednesday, 05/09/2052.**

"C.S.T.O. Mitchel to Captain Archer, I believe that we have found the crawl space, but it's a tight fit." Mitchel said as his men moved the crawlspace covering father from the hole in the wall. "It's smoky in there Captain, so I've sent men to find a fan so that we can improve the visibility."

"Good, it seems that the Zullonos have backed off, as we're almost in Vulcan space, so I'm heading that way." Archer said, then he turned to Mayweather, "You have the Bridge. T'Pol, Malcom, come with me." "Yes Sir." They all replied, Mayweather turned back to his console as T'Pol and Malcom got up and followed the Captain. "As soon as I get the fan and the visibility is better I'll see if it's stable enough to go in." Mitchel's voice came over the com. "Good, we're on our way. Archer out."

As Archer, T'Pol, and Malcom came around the corner to section four in Engineering they could see C.S.T.O. Luke Mitchel peering into the open crawlspace, attempting to see how far back Trip was. "Has it cleared enough for you to see what it is that he said was pinning him down?" Archer asked as he stopped beside Mitchel. "Yes Sir, it's cleared up quite a bit, however, it appears that Commander Tucker is around the corner, we can't get a visual on him or what has him trapped. But the crawlspace does appear to be stable." Michel said, frustration evident in his tone. "Okay. I'm gonna go in there and see, then I'll come back out and you can send someone in with the necessary tools. Let's get him out of here as a quickly as possible." Archer said, as he stepped closer to the opening. "Yes Sir." Mitchel responded as he turned to his men to make sure they were ready to get Commander Tucker out quickly.

Archer got down on his hands and knees in order to enter the crawlspace, but was soon forced to crawl along on his stomach. _What in the world was Tucker thing to crawl in the tight space during an attack!_ Archer thought angrily. The crawlspace was covered in black grime on all four walls and even though they had cleared the air with the fan the smoke was still think in the air. Coughing, Archer continued to crawl forward. When he rounded the corner, the light from his headlight fell across a body lying face down. "Trip!" Archer yelled, hoping to wake the unconscious man. Groaning and coughing, Trip slowly lifted his head and squinted his eyes, the light making his head pound harder but the need to see the Captain, no matter how fuzzy, was more pressing. "Hey Cap'n, w-what took y-you s-so long?" He said, his words slurred as he fought to keep his head up despite the blazing light. Archer couldn't respond for a moment as he was shocked by the amount of blood on Trips face and the puddle that he was lying in. Putting a smile on his face that didn't reach his eyes he tried to respond lightly, "You know, I was busy running a ship."

"Oh right." Trip said, disappointment seeping slightly into his voice.

"Hey," Archer said as he crawled closer, "I'm just kidding, it took us awhile to find you, you aren't very good at letting people know where you're going are you?" Archer gave a small laugh, and relaxed when he saw that Trip returned a small smile of his own. Trip's head began to drop back to the floor, but was stopped when a horrible cough burst through Trip's lips, immediately causing him to groan and breathe harshly. "Where does it hurt Trip?" Archer asked, shinning his light as far across Trip's abdomen as he could see, spotting the thick pipe that was lying across his friend's back. It wasn't going to be easy to move. "A-all over, but maybe not my big toe, that seems to be relatively unharmed." He responded with a weak smile, noting the foreboding look on Archer's face. Shaking his head, Archer turned his gaze back to Trip's bloody face. "I have to go so that one of the S.T.O. guys can come and get you out, I'll be outside the crawlspace with T'Pol and Malcom. Do you think you can stay awake until they get you free?" "S-sure, n-no problem Cap'n." Trip said, suddenly realizing that he didn't want to be left alone again, never mind that it would only be for a few minutes. Archer picked up on the hesitation in Trip's voice and caught a glimpse of fear flash through his eyes. "It's okay, it won't take long for them to get in here and get you out. You'll be okay." Archer said with understanding in his eyes. Signing, Trip met his gaze and carefully nodded his head. Archer began to back out of the crawlspace and Trip was left with his jumbled thoughts. Finally S.T.O. Lieutenant Jenkins crawled to where Trip was laying. "How are you faring Commander Tucker?" He asked as he moved closed to Trips head, mindful of the tight space. "As g-good as can b-be expected c-considering t-the circumstances Lieutenant." Trip responded weakly. Sliding his hand along the pipe, Jenkins attempted to lift it up. When the pipe moved slightly, Trip groaned in agony. "Sorry, but I have to get it off of you Commander." Jenkins said as he pushed it up with all his might, finally he was able to lift the heavy pipe off of Trip's back, leaving Trip breathless with pain radiation throughout his body. Still bearing the weight of the pipe, Jenkins called to a man behind him that Trip hadn't noticed. C.S.T.O Mitchel handed Jenkins the small jack, which Jenkins carefully placed in the small space by Trip's side. Mitchel then leaned over Trip and pumped the lever on the jack until it was bearing the weight of the pipe. "Commander Tucker, we're gonna have to drag you forward onto the stretcher, it's gonna hurt. I'd give you a hypo-spray for the pain, but Phlox is worried about how that will interact with your likely concussion. Do you think you can manage the pain?" Mitchel said, making eye contact with Trip in the dim light provided by his and Jenkins' headlights. "I'll be fine, just get me out of this crawlspace." Trip replied with a grimace. "Okay on three." Mitchel said as he and Jenkins got into position. As soon as Jenkins and Mitchel grabbed his shoulders to pull him onto the stretcher his chest tightened, and his breath caught. Pushing through the pain he was just managing to breathe again when all of a sudden the stretcher hit him in the stomach. As the sharp, terrible pain spread at warp speed throughout his entire body and an agonized scream ripped from his lips before an overwhelming darkness once again consumed him.


	5. Chapter 5

Archer, T'Pol, Malcom and the rest of the S.T.O. guys were anxiously waiting outside of the crawlspace. Suddenly a blood curdling scream ripped through the air, followed by complete silence. Archer was the first to act as he rushed towards the crawlspace. When he reached the hole, C.S.T.O. Mitchel was just crawling out backwards, bringing the head of the stretcher with him. Archer waited impatiently for the stretcher to be clear of the crawlspace, followed by Lieutenant Jenkins holding the foot of the stretcher. Once they were clear of the hole they laid the stretcher on the ground and traded places with two other S.T.O. members, who proceeded to pick up the stretcher again. Trip was lying on the stretcher unmoving and Archer gently placed his hand on the side of Trips forehead that wasn't covered in blood. "You're gonna make it, you have to make." Archer whispered fiercely in Trips ear, quickly he wiped the moister from his eyes and turned to the S.T.O. members who were holding the stretcher. "He's burning up, get him to Sickbay now!" Archer then turned his attention to Mitchel. "What happened? He was conscious when I was in there." Archer demanded. "We had to move him onto the stretcher and he was already in pain from us removing the pipe. He was still conscious, but when his ribs hit the bottom of the stretcher the pain became too much and he passed out." Mitchel explained, regret that he had caused Commander Tucker more pain evident in his voice. Nodding sharply, Archer turned and made his way to Sickbay.

In Sickbay everybody was in a rush. When S.T.O. brought Trip in Phlox started handing out orders to anyone standing nearby. "One of his ribs have punctured the skin, I need a blood transfusion started stat! Someone clean up his head wound, and get me the hypospray for fever reduction!" Shinning a light in Commander Tucker's eyes in the typical doctor fashion, Phlox tried to gage the seriousness of his concussion. "I also need the hypospray containing the Oxycodone." Phlox said as he cleaned up the blood around the puncture wound. Trip also sustained three more broken ribs and severe bruising of the abdomen. Once the pain killer had been administered Phlox began to push the protruding rib back under the skin. Trip began to moan and pull away from the still stinging pain. "Hold him down! I can risk him puncturing a lung." Phlox said, consumed in his work. Once the rib was taken care of, Phlox checked for and began the treatment for the infection that had begun to set in. Once he had done what he could to clean out the wound he stitched the skin back together and wrapped Trip's ribs to help keep them still. After thoroughly cleaning out the infection that had set into Trip's left hand and then bandaging both of his hands, Phlox moved up to Trip's head and examined the gnash above his right eyebrow. It was deep and it had bled a lot, as most head wounds do. "Let's get him in the scanner." Phlox said, a little more calm now that the major wound was taken care of. Turning to Captain Archer, who had arrived shortly after Commander Tucker, Phlox updated him of Trip's condition. "As I suspected, he has severe concussion. That explains the momentary memory loss earlier when he was talking to you. It also accounts for his being unconscious when you reached him in the crawlspace. When he regains consciousness I will have to assess his other symptoms." After they got Trip out of the scanner and onto a bio-bed, Phlox again turned to Archer. "He has a high fever from the infection, so I have him on antibiotics. He is also receiving a blood transfusion so he's not out of the woods yet, but it will be several hours before he is strong enough to regain consciousness." Phlox paused a moment to examine Archer, as he hadn't said a word since Trip had been brought in. "He'll make it, he's fighter." Phlox said when Archer still hadn't torn his gaze from his friend's bruised and now bandaged face. "I know." Archer finally replied. "I haven't finished the treaty yet, but I can't leave him. Can you believe that just this afternoon I was mad at him for knocking over a few of my tablets? He brought me food and I got mad at him. The only other contact we had was when the ship was under attack. I didn't even ask him about the bandage on his hand. I should've asked." Archer's head was bowed over, his hands covering his face, by the time he finished his sentence, his voice filled with regret. "You were overwhelmed with work, he understood. The important thing is that he's here and alive, he does not need you to wallow in regret, he just needs you to be there for him." Phlox laid a hand on Archer's shoulder, his tone comforting as his gaze fell to Trip's unconscious form. "You're right. If you don't mind I can work on the treaty from here." Archer said as he looked around the room at the other full bio-beds. "I'll stay out of the way, I promise." Archer quickly added before Phlox could reply. With a sigh, Phlox looked at the ground and nodded his head. "That will be fine Captain, but if there are any complications you will have to step aside." "Agreed, thank you." Archer said as he walked over to the com to ask Hoshi to bring his stuff to Sickbay.

 **Zero One Hundred (1:00am) Wednesday, 05/09/2052**

Trip slowly opened his eyes. All he could see was white, it was so bright that he quickly shut them again. He was so cold, he couldn't remember ever being this cold. His body started to shudder, and he pried his eyes open again, thinking to ask for a blanket. But his body wasn't cooperating with him, and the next thing he knew his body started to seize up and panic overcame his senses as his eyes rolled back in his head.

Archer's attention was jerked away from the treaty alarms started going off from the monitor by Trip's bio-bed. Phlox quickly rushed over just as Trip's body started convulsing. Archer stepped out of the way before he was trampled by the other Sickbay personnel. He watched in shock as Trip's body continued to convulse, only faintly hearing what was being shouted. "I need those ice packs! He's fevers spiked..hold his arm...where is that hypospary!" Phlox shouted as he worked quickly to save the Commander's life. "Right here doctor." Said one of the nurses as he handed over the hypospray. Finally, thanks to the sedative in the hypospray, Trip's body lay still. Archer wasn't sure which was worse, the stillness or the convulsions. Finally getting the ice packs in place, and administering another fever reducer, Phlox turned to the Captain, who was still standing silent, worry written all over his face. "It's okay Captain. His fever spiked, causing him to convulse, but I've given him a sedative, and he should be fine." Archer just looked at Phlox nodding his head before he again took his seat, momentarily forgetting about his work on the treaty he grasped Trip's hand and just held on.

 **Zero Seven Hundred (7:00am), Wednesday, 05/09/2052.**

Captain Archer had finally finished the treaty. Slowly he stood from where he had been sitting all night. Glancing at Trip he realized that Trip looked worse than he did when they had first found him. The bruising on his forehead seemed darker because Trip's skin had paled considerably after the night that he had had. The fever had climbed causing Trip to become delirious and to thrash about, every now and then he would start shivering and groaning in the most heart wrenching manner. Archer could barely stand to see his best friend in such pain, knowing that he couldn't do anything to help him. Phlox would come when Trip started thrashing and give him another sedative, which allowed Trip to fall into an uneasy rest. Constantly the nurses were replacing the ice pads, as Trip's body was sucking the cold from them at an unusual rate. This continued until about zero four hundred, when Trip's fever finally broke. Every now and then he would still moan or groan but finally he seemed to settle into a deep sleep. It was during this time that Archer finished the treaty, stopping to check on Trip every few minutes. Archer's thoughts were brought back to the present when his stomach growled loudly. Phlox approached Captain Archer just in time to hear his hunger make itself known. "You should go eat, Captain. Trip will still be here when you get back, and besides, you have to meet the Vulcans and the Andorians in less than an hour. You should go get ready." Phlox said, knowing that the Captain was hesitant to leave Commander Tucker's side after all that had happen during the night. "Your right. But I'll be back as soon as the treaty is agreed upon and signed." Archer said, finally stepping away from Trip's bio-bed. "I wouldn't expect anything less, Captain." Phlox replied. Archer nodded, and after one more glance at Trip's unconscious form he walked out of Sickbay to get ready for the treaty signing.

 **Fifteen Hundred (3:00pm), Wednesday, 05/09/2052.**

Slowly his senses began to come back to him as he heard voices that seemed to come from a distance. He could hear the tone of their voices but he couldn't quite make out what they were saying. Gradually he became aware that the pain in his hands, head, and abdomen had greatly lessened, though it was still there throbbing with his heart beat. Faintly he heard a moan and wondered if it had come from him. His suspicions were confirmed when he felt a light touch on his forehead. When the voice spoke again it was clearer. "The fever hasn't returned and it appears that the infection has greatly diminished, he should be waking at any moment." A name suddenly came out of the fogginess that was his mind… _Phlox_ …but he didn't know why he knew this name. Carefully he opened his eyes, the light was bright and intense and the sheer shock of it made him shut his eyes as his head began to pound harder. "Trip, Trip, you can open your eyes, Phlox turned the light down." This voice was familiar, but the name was just out of reach. Suddenly names and images rushed through his mind and events and places began to piece together and make sense behind his closed eyes causing him to groan at the intensity of it all. He'd been trapped, he was the Chief Engineer on U.S.S. Enterprise. Archer was his Captain and his best friend. He was in Sickbay. They had found him…had rescued him…he was safe. Slowly opening his eyes once again he looked to the left and found a blurry Archer staring down at him. "You were out for a while there Trip, had us scared." Archer said, placing a hand gently on Trip's shoulder. "Sorry to w-worry ya Cap'n." Trip replied, his voice little more than a croak, his vision clearing a bit. "Here have some water, you have been unconscious for several hours." Phlox said as he handed him a glass of water. "Thank you." Trip said after he had taken a generous sip. "You're quite welcome." Phlox said, smiling down at him. While Trip was focused on Phlox, Archer took the time to assess his state of being. The bruise on his forehead had turned a darker shade of purple and despite the several hours after his fever broke that he had had to rest, he still appeared completely worn out. Trip's weak voice interrupted Archer's thoughts. "Cap'n, how'd t-the treaty g-go?" Trip asked, looking up at Archer. "It went better than expected, Shran sends his regards, as do the Vulcans. The Andorians have promised to take care of the Zullonos. Shran was outraged when I told him about the attacks." Archer said, slightly amused as he remembered the way that Shran's antenna's had stood straight up in shock and anger. "G-good, I'm g-glad it went w-well." Trip said, his eyes closing of their own volition, unable to keep them open a second longer. "Me too, Trip, me too." Archer patted his shoulder and sighed in relief, Trip was going to be fine. As he sat there staring at Trip's now sleeping form he finally allowed himself to breathe.

 **The End**

 **:) I hope that y'all enjoyed it! Reviews are appreciated and ideas are always welcomed :)**


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